Those of you who know me, or at least have bothered to read my blog will know one important fact; I am a proud biker. I ride a fantastic machine, a BMW F800 ST. For those of you who don't do bike-speak, I ride a fast sports bike, which I also use for touring loooong distances. There are a few mod cons; heated grips and ABS brakes: so that when the idiot in front of me decides to come to a screeching halt, I too can stop, rather than go through his windscreen.

 

Now, being a BMW rider, I obviously idolize this Teutonic manufacturer. This has been the case since I was 17, though then, my first BMW purchase was actually a 3-series car rather than a bike. It also goes without saying that I privately believe (make that "know") that all other bikes are, how can I put it...

 

Inferior.

 

Italian bikes are ridden by show-offs, Japanese bikes are ridden by the speed-obsessessed, the Yanks are all about the image, British bikers simply don't know any better... You get the picture, it's BMW or nothing for me. (Though really, I will stop and look at any bit of metal on two wheels, as long as it isn't a, "shudder" scooter, ridden by a 17-year-old oik.)

 

"Vork Sprung Durk Technik" good, everyone else...quite frankly, I couldn't be asked to rate such tripe!

 

Now, this very evening, while coming 'round a very busy roundabout, the Tobbot family chanced upon a poor biker who'd slid across some diesel and came off his bike. On seeing the accident, I immediately pulled over onto the roundabout itself, and rushed out to help the man. We went and picked up his bike off the road, and took him home, where he could call his sister and make his way to hospital for a broken thumb. I also offered to come and bring his bike home when he was ready.

 

Do you think I even stopped to check what bike he was riding?

 

At the time, I didn't even care! What was important, was that a fellow biker needed assistance, and it was time for "all units to the scene".

 

Now, the reason why I'm mentioning this;

 

Barney & Wendi, a couple of good friends of mine, make mention of the difficulties many are facing because of their religious beliefs.

 

Over in Iran and Egypt, Baha'is are denied education, employment and the right to congregate, while over here, people are harassed and fear for their lives for changing religions.

 

I'm sorry; you need to treat someone differently because of what they believe? Has the world gone stark raving mad? We're talking about personal belief here; what's more, it's a belief in a God we can't see, touch or hear. People the world over decide to read the writings of a man, they come to realise the existence of a Divine Creator, they choose to worship Him in their own way...And this gives them the right to persecute, kill and deny others for holding to, I'm sorry, a different belief?

 

A belief?

 

I could understand it if this was about which bike you choose to ride; we're talking about life threatening issues such as performance, speed, handling, and a dozen other exotic sensations directly wired to your pleasure centre. Maybe a bickering about which chocolate centre you prefer, or whether it should be dark or milk chocolate.

 

But executing someone...over a philosophy?

 

And I'm the mad biker!

 

And yes, I do hold opinions about what others ride, but I would never think they were lesser people for their riding choice, nor would I ever refuse to help when help is needed. As far as I am concerned, we all have made a choice to "ride the steel stallion," and that makes us brethren.

 

Maybe the day will come when people will realise that religious belief (or lack of it) is no more important than which mode of transport you prefer. Yes, it is a personal choice, but it is just that. You can tell me how much you enjoy what you do, and how you do it, and if I'm in the right frame of mind, I might even appreciate what you do and believe in.

 

But I'm sorry, however deeply personal your beliefs are, nothing is worth another person's life.

 

And no philosopher has ever said that his teachings give anyone the right to oppress someone else.


Tobbot, aka Tobstv